Election official says 63% of eligible Russian voters overseas live in Europe

Another 120,000 eligible voters live in North America and 541,000 reside in Asia

MOSCOW, September 15. /TASS/. About two-thirds of Russian nationals living abroad and eligible to vote in the Sunday’s elections to the State Duma lower house of parliament, live in Europe, Valery Kryukov from the Central Election Commission (CEC) said on Thursday.

"According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, 63% (of all eligible Russian voters staying abroad), or 1.193 million people, reside in Europe," he said at the presentation of the CEC’s information center to foreign reporters and diplomats.

Another 120,000 eligible voters live in North America and 541,000 reside in Asia. A total of 371 polling stations will open on Sunday at Russian diplomatic missions abroad. An early voting, or absentee ballot option will be available in some countries.

Elections to the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of Parliament, will be held on September 18 in a split system: 225 members of parliament will be elected by party tickets, while the other 225 are going to be elected in one-seat constituencies.

More than 111 million people are eligible to vote in the election and no minimal turnout is required.

Fourteen parties will be on the election ballot, such as the United Russia party, the Communist Party of Russia, the Liberal Democratic Party, A Just Russia party, Russia’s Patriots, Rodina (Motherland), Yabloko, the Russian Party of Pensioners for Justice to name a few. Parties have to pass the five-percent electoral threshold to receive any seats in the Duma.